


A Knife in the Dark

by RileyRooin



Category: The Lord of the Rings RPF
Genre: First Time, Fluff, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-09
Updated: 2016-08-09
Packaged: 2018-08-07 15:40:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,746
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7720384
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RileyRooin/pseuds/RileyRooin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dom's drunken confession leads to the origin of Tig and the start of something new</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Knife in the Dark

Billy didn’t know how to say no to Dom. He tried, but he just couldn’t seem to actually do it. When Dom had shown up at Billy’s front door a few hours earlier, insisting that they go to a pub up the road, Billy tried to protest. Dom wouldn’t listen when Billy reasoned that they had filming the next day and that they needed sleep. Instead, he’d been his usual insistent self and Billy had given in. Now, though, as Dom stood next him on his front porch, drunkenly swaying back and forth, Billy wished he’d protested just a bit more.

“You know, I told you this would happen,” Billy scolded, digging in his pocket for his keys. “Look at you.”

“You were right, Bills. You’re the smartest hobbit of them all,” Dom mumbled. He started humming off-key, then broke into song. “Ohhhhhh, I have a friend name Billy… Boyd is his last name… He plays a smart little hobbit and soon he will have faaaaaaaaame!”

“Shh,” Billy hissed as he fumbled to get the key in the lock.

“But, Billy, I’m singin’ ‘bout you.” Dom’s words were slurred and his eyes were glassy as he stared at Billy. Dom tossed his arm around Billy’s shoulders, further impeding the older man from unlocking the door. “Don’t you like my singing?”

“Knock it off, Dominic.” Billy pushed his arm away and finally managed to unlock the door. He pushed the door open and pointed ahead. “Get inside.”

Dom skipped ahead into the dark house, doing a little twirl before disappearing into the living room. Billy shut and locked the door, smiling to himself in spite of his irritation about caring for a drunken Dom. Again. Didn’t they teach those Manchester boys how to hold their liquor? Billy’s smile quickly faded when he heard a loud thud followed by a groan. He rushed down the hallway and flipped the lights on. Dom was crumpled on the floor in front of the couch, not moving.

“Dom?” Billy whispered. He didn’t answer. His brow furrowing, Billy hurried over to him and spoke his name again. Dom’s eyes remained shut. Billy crouched down next to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Dom?”

Dom’s eyes flew open abruptly. “Boo!” A large smile grew across his face.

“You arse! Don’t scare me like that!” Billy started to get up when Dom grabbed his hand.

“I fell, Bills.” His eyes searched Billy’s.

“I know, Dommie, I heard you.”

“And you came to rescue me…” Dom squeezed his hand, gazing up at him with an unfamiliar expression on his face.

At this, Billy felt the heat rising to his face. He chuckled nervously. “Um, well…” He tried to pull his hand away, but Dom’s grip increased.

“You’re my fucking hero.”

“And you’re pissed.” Billy managed to pull away and quickly got to his feet. He hurried over to the window and pretended to be adjusting the blinds. His heart was pounding in his chest and he didn’t understand why. What was wrong with him lately? Ever since meeting Dominic Monaghan, his whole world had been turned upside down. At night, before he went to sleep, Billy found himself pouring over the things Dom had said to him over the course of the day. And when he woke up in the morning, he could hardly wait to get to the set to see his friend again. Surely that was normal, though… And what had happened last week, well, that was just a fluke. Just because his late-night wanking fantasy had been interrupted by a vision of Dom’s face didn’t mean- But, no, Billy had promised himself not to think about that.

“Billy?” Dom’s voice was soft and low, interrupting him from his thoughts.

“Yes?”

“Can you help me up?”

Sighing, Billy returned to Dom’s side and pulled him to his feet. Once again, Dom didn’t let go of Billy’s hand. He took a step closer to Billy and leaned forward. He was close enough that Billy could almost taste the beer on his breath. For a moment, he was sure that Dom was going to kiss him, which both frightened and excited Billy. Instead, he moved his mouth near Billy’s ear. “I have a secret,” Dom whispered.

“Oh?” Billy’s voice cracked, betraying the calm exterior he’d been trying so hard to maintain.

“I think I love you, Billy.”

Billy chuckled again and took a step backwards. “Um, Dom, you’re drunk and I don’t, uh, think you know what you’re saying…”

Dom’s face was grave. “Don’t you see it? Pissed or sober, I don’t want anything but you.” Billy smiled a tight smile, unsure how to reply to this confession. His mind was invaded with a million thoughts all at once. He was trying to form a response to Dom’s words when without warning, Dom tilted his head to the side slightly, crossed his eyes and stuck his tongue out. Billy couldn’t help laughing at the ridiculousness of his friend. Dom laughed, too, then poked his index finger into Billy’s shoulder. “Tig!” He turned on his heel and headed for the hallway.

“Tig?” Billy asked, confused. “Don’t you mean ‘tag’?”

“No, it’s tig!” Dom shrugged. “And you’re it, mate. You’d better catch me.” He took off running.

Billy shook his head, puzzled by the sudden change in Dom’s demeanor. Had he meant what he’d said? And if so, why did he just run away like that? He sighed again and wandered out into the dark hallway. “Dom, come out, come out wherever you are.” Billy peeked into his bedroom and saw no sign of him in the moonlit room. “Dom?” He crept into the bathroom, flooding the room with light before ripping back the shower curtain to reveal an empty tub. “Damnit,” Billy muttered. As he walked back into the hallway, he heard a small sneeze from the closet near one of the guestrooms. He pulled open the door and found Dom. “Ah-ha!” Billy grinned, then poked Dom in the chest. “Tag!”

Dom frowned. “No, Billy. Tig. T-I-G. Tig.”

“Right. Tig,” Billy repeated before he ran towards his bedroom. Dom was right on his heels and tackled him on the bed. Billy was facedown with all of Dom’s weight pressed on top of him. He struggled to break free, but even in Dom’s alcohol-deluged state he was stronger. After a minute, Billy managed to wiggle his way out from under Dom long enough to roll over on his back. Dom pounced on him, straddling his waist in one movement.

“What are you doing?” Billy asked, trying unsuccessfully to push his friend off of him.

Dom took hold of Billy’s wrists and held them over Billy’s head. “Tig,” Dom whispered in a husky voice.

“Dom…” Billy stared up at him, his heart pounding.

“Tig,” Dom repeated, lowering his face towards Billy’s. “You’re it, Bill.” With that, he leaned in and began to kiss Billy. At first, Billy tried to resist, but this resistance was only half-hearted. He’d been wondering what it would be like to kiss Dom; wondering what Dom would taste like. Letting go of his inhibitions, Billy gave in and let his mouth and body respond to Dom. Feeling this, Dom loosened his grip on Billy’s wrists. Now free, Billy still didn’t fight. Instead, he reached up and wrapped his arms around the younger man. Billy’s head was reeling with questions, but they were questions that could wait until later. He concentrated instead on the tender kisses Dom was giving to him. Quickly, however, the tenderness was replaced with something much more urgent. Their kisses grew needier as each man allowed his hands to trail up and down the other’s body. As they stretched out on the bed, they soon became a mess of wrinkled clothing and wandering hands.

Dom tugged at the bottom of Billy’s shirt, attempting to remove it without interrupting their kisses. At this touch, Billy’s body tensed and he pulled away. “Dom, I…” He trailed off, unsure how to express the confusion that was cluttering his brain. “I mean, I don’t…”

Dom released his grip on the fabric, then smoothed it out over Billy’s stomach. He met Billy’s eyes and smiled reassuringly. “Don’t worry, mate. I know this is all new for you.”

“I just-” Billy let out a tiny laugh. “I just feel like a damn teenager again.”

“Me, too, Billy.” Dom lightly ran his fingers across Billy’s cheek. “We can take this slow.”

Without replying, Billy leaned forward and planted a small kiss on the tip of Dom’s nose. Then, involuntarily, a small yawn escaped from his mouth.

“You tired?” Dom asked, continuing his caresses on Billy’s cheek. Billy nodded slightly, letting his eyes shut. “Alright, mate, we should get some sleep. Roll over.” Dom’s voice was soft. Billy did as he said and was soon rewarded as Dom spooned up behind him and began placing gentle kisses on his neck. Billy murmured happily at this. He didn’t know what was going to happen in the morning, but at that moment, he didn’t really care.

Billy was almost asleep when Dom spoke again, stopping his kisses. “What are we filming tomorrow?”

“Weathertop.”

“Mmm… What chapter is that from?”

“I don’t know, Dommie.” Billy yawned again. “Why?”

Ignoring Billy’s question, Dom rolled away and leapt out of bed. “I’ll check.” Billy’s eyes fluttered shut as he listened to the sound of Dom turning on a light and then flipping through his copy of _The Fellowship of the Ring_. He had almost drifted off to sleep when he felt the bed shift under Dom’s weight as the younger man climbed back into bed. He returned to his original position behind Billy, wrapping his arms around his torso.

“I found out, Bills.”

“Mmm?”

“A Knife in the Dark.”

“That’s nice, Dom. Gonna sleep now…” Billy mumbled.

Dom shifted, moving himself closer to Billy. “You hear me, Billy? A _Knife_ in the Dark.” He thrust his hips forward ever-so-slightly, just enough that Billy could feel him pressing against him. Billy’s eyes flew open. Suddenly, sleep didn’t seem so important.

He turned back to Dom. “A knife, indeed,” he whispered before leaning over to kiss Dom again.  


* * *

  
The next morning, when his alarm went off, Billy was alone in his bed. He sat up slowly, the events of the night before coming back to him. He reached a hand up to touch his lips, and couldn’t help breaking into a huge grin. True to his word, Dom had made sure that things moved slowly. They’d spent most of the night exploring each other’s bodies with their hands. Billy smirked, remembering what it felt like to touch Dom, and to have Dom touching _him_. The sound of Dom moaning his name in ecstasy echoed in Billy’s mind, sending a shiver through his whole body. Unfortunately, he didn’t have time to dwell on it. He had to be on set soon to have his feet put on. Reluctantly, he rolled out of bed.

He rubbed his eyes as he stumbled down the hallway towards his kitchen, fully expecting to see Dom sitting there, tucking into whatever he managed to scrounge up from Billy’s cupboards. Instead, the kitchen was empty. Confused, Billy turned around and peeked in the living room and the bathroom. Both were empty.

“Dom?” Billy called out, his voice sounding particularly loud in the stillness of the house. When he received no answer, he returned to the vacant kitchen. “Where are you?”  


* * *

  
When Billy arrived at the make-up trailer, he felt sick to his stomach. He reached out a hand to open the door, but hesitated. How was Dom going to act when he went inside? How was _he_ supposed to act? Should he pretend nothing happened? Taking a deep breath, he tried to steel himself against whatever happened when he went inside.

He entered the trailer to find Sean and Dom inside, both already involved in the process of getting their feet attached. Dom looked up, meeting his eyes for a second before quickly glancing away. He instead turned his attention to the attractive woman who was busy with his feet. Billy sighed and turned towards Sean, trying to ignore the tight knot in his stomach.

Sean was staring blankly at a page in _The Fellowship of the Ring_ , which he was clutching in his left hand. A large cup of coffee rested in his right hand. He glanced up at Billy. “Morning.”

“Morning, Sean.” Billy replied, trying not to look in Dom’s direction again. “You reading today’s section?”

“Yeah. I figured I’d see what Tolkien wrote about the Weathertop scene.”

“Good idea. Maybe I’ll do the same.”

“It took me awhile to find it, but I finally did. It’s in ‘A Knife in the Dark,’ if you want to read it, too.” Sean returned his attention to the book. Billy swallowed hard at the mention of the chapter title. When Sean had said this, Billy hadn’t been able to resist glancing in Dom’s direction. Dom had been staring right at him, but once again, quickly averted his eyes.

Billy went through the morning in a zombie-like state. He was vaguely aware of having his feet put on, getting into costume and make-up, but didn’t really register any of these things. He barely remembered the transport to the Weathertop set. The only thing he was aware of was that through it all, Dom hadn’t said one word to him.

Once on set, Billy half-heartedly greeted Viggo, and quickly excused himself. He wandered off, keeping within earshot, but away from everyone as they prepped for shooting. He stared off in the distance, trying to recapture the feeling of bliss he’d experienced when he’d woken up that morning.

When a hand clamped down on his shoulder, he jumped and let out a little yelp. He whipped around to find Dom standing there. He was wearing an expression that Billy couldn’t read.

“Good morning, Billy.”

Billy frowned. After all that silence, _now_ Dom decided to talk to him? “Morning?!”

“Yes, morning. It’s this little thing that comes before afternoon and after nighttime.” One of the corners of Dom’s mouth turned up slightly.

Though still exasperated, Billy couldn’t help smiling. “Cheeky little hobbit.”

Dom laughed. “That’s me.”

A silence fell between the two of them and the smiles faded from their faces. Dom stared at him, his look so intense that Billy was tempted to look away. Instead, he decided to speak.

“Listen, Dom-”

“Billy, I’m sorry.” Dom spoke quickly, interrupting him.

“For what?” Billy frowned again. Was he sorry for ignoring him? Or was he sorry for what they’d done?

Dom’s brow furrowed. “For leaving without waking you up, of course.” He sighed, looking down at their feet. “And for not saying anything until now.” He paused and his tongue popped out, wetting his bottom lip. “I was just worried that you’d regret what had happened and…” He raised his eyes to Billy’s again. “I was scared, Bills.”

A sense of relief washed over Billy. He stared at Dom, whose face looked so open and vulnerable that Billy didn’t know how he could have ever been upset with him.

Dom shifted his feet on the ground. “Alright, then. I guess I was right…” He turned away from Billy, who reached out and grabbed his arm. Dom faced him again, his eyes questioning. “What?”

“Where do you think you’re going, Monaghan?”

“Well, you were just standing there looking at me, so I assumed-”

Billy stepped closer. “Don’t assume anything.” He glanced around and saw that everyone was otherwise occupied, so he took the opportunity to place a small, quick kiss on Dom’s cheek. “I’ll forgive you under one condition.”

“Anything.”

“I need some more practice with A Knife in the Dark… Maybe tonight you could come over and give me some pointers,” he whispered, his mouth close to Dom’s ear. He let go of Dom’s arm, and stepped back again.

Dom smirked. “Well, alright. But, only because you insist, of course.” They shared a knowing look, and then Dom started to walk back towards the set.

As Billy watched his retreating figure, he got an idea. “Oh, yeah, Dom? I have one more thing to say to you.” Dom stopped and looked at him questioningly. Billy sauntered over to him and dramatically jabbed his finger into his shoulder. “Tig!” He turned away and ran towards the rest of the cast and crew, Dom following close behind.

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for the Inspiration v.5 LOTR Title Challenge on LiveJournal.


End file.
